Welcome to the Ranch!

We have had some excitement on the ranch in the past week. First we have gotten some much needed rain. Storm systems came through dropping good rain for a few days in a row. We have not had flooding like Houston or the tornadoes which occurred in northern Texas yesterday, for which we are very thankful. We still pray that God will continue to bless our land with rain throughout the summer.

Last Sunday a week ago, my youngest son, Andrew, grew ill. We thought he had contracted a stomach virus, but something about it seemed odd. In order to make a long story short as well as spare you the details, early Monday morning it became apparent that he needed medical attention. My husband and I drove to the nearest good medical hospital, which for us is in College Station.

Andrew received excellent care and had to endure an emergency appendectomy. After a total of three days in the hospital, we were released to come home. He is still recovering from the surgery, but is doing much better.

The challenging part will be to keep him from getting hurt for six whole weeks. Boys will be boys and we discussed no wooden sword fights, no trampoline, no wrestling, etc. Instead, we have been entertaining Andrew with playdough, Uno, Legos, go fish, puzzles, etc.

After dinner on one of our first nights home, we went on a slow walk through the pasture after a light rain. We ate our weight in dewberries for dessert. It was such a blissful evening. We delighted in the normal scenery. There were the horses grazing in green pastures. There were the cows in belly high grass. There are fish jumping in the lake. We were home!

We are so thankful for the rain and the health of Andrew. We caught the appendix in time before it ruptured. He is getting better each day. As I researched all there is to know about the appendix, I am also thankful that cows do not have them. That would really put a different spin on herd health management. It was hard enough to get a five-year old to articulate what he was feeling. I cannot even imagine having to monitor appendicitis in cattle.

Please pray for Andrew’s continued recovery and for rain to continue to replenish the soil in all the drought stricken areas of the United States. God does listen.

Learning how to cook grass fed beef takes practice. It really involves understanding time and temperature differences from traditional cooking. Against the advice of many, you do not have to treat grass fed beef with kid gloves nor do you have to marinate everything for 24 hours. We give our customers “6 Cooking Tips for Grass Fed Beef,” which comes from an article on this blog with the same title.

Still, I get questions specifically pertaining to grilling steaks. I found this short video with very simple instructions and ingredients from Whole Foods. I liked it because it was so simple and the video does not spend the whole time extolling all the virtues of eating grass fed beef.

Instead it focuses on the how-to of grilling grass fed steaks, which is what our customers want. They already know why they have purchased the grass fed beef. Take just over one minute to watch a tutorial showing you a simple method of grilling.

I field lots and lots of questions about our grass fed beef, but many people we talk to have almost as many questions about wild hog. These wild animals are a relatively recent problem. Growing up we did not have feral hogs in our area. They stayed up in the northern part of our county, but had not ventured into our pastures and woods. As an adult, the feral hog population has undoubtedly migrated south to Cross Creek Cattle Company.

For the past decade, these animals have plagued our land as they plow up pastures in a single night. They multiply at alarming rates and mature very quickly. Wild hogs can also be very aggressive, especially sows protecting their babies. Therefore, they are a problem for many reasons.

Popular shows portray hunters with bows and arrows or armed only with a large knife. You can kill hogs this way; however, hunting them in the aforementioned way takes time, patience, and puts you in more dangerous situations. Hogs are not our livelihood. Instead they threaten the grasses that feed our livelihood. We have to try to control their population, and we do it as safely as we can. We trap.

Last week my son, Jake, killed a really nice sized hog and dressed it out all by himself. We were planning to go on a family camping trip on Easter weekend and he suggested that we roast his hog in a hand dug pit. In my desire to encourage productive ideas in my children, I agreed. So my husband and Jake did a little research on the subject.

Before we left to go camping, Jake seasoned his porker to his liking and wrapped it in heavy duty foil several times. It barely fit in our large cooler, but we were able to close the lid.

After we pitched our tents, Lane and Jake set out with shovels and post hole diggers and began chopping at the hard earth. They ended up with a pit 2.5′ deep, 4′ long, and 3′ wide. It was big enough to leave a one foot perimeter around the hog.

Then they cut up a fallen post oak tree. Filled the pit and set in on fire. After it roared for hours and roasted hot dogs in three seconds flat, it burned down leaving red hot coals a foot deep. My husband took a simple, metal grate that stands on short legs and turned it upside down. He laid the wrapped hog on top of it and carefully lowered the hog into place. Luckily he did not singe the hair on his arms; although, the intense heat made him suspect it at the time.

The laid pieces of old tin on top of the pit and covered them making sure that no smoke was escaping. The point was to ensure oxygen was not feeding the coals. We did not want scorched and blackened pork; we wanted succulent, juicy pork. And that is what we found 13 hours later when we pulled the foil back.

It was by far the best wild pork we have ever eaten. We had enough food for a small army. We have eaten pulled pork with baked potatoes, pulled pork sandwiches with barbecue sauce, chopped pork as soft tacos, etc. We have eaten well off the fat of the land in true pit barbecue fashion.

Last Saturday families lined the downtown streets of Houston, Texas in order to watch the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade. The morning began very early for us and bitterly cold. It was not so much the temperature, but the stout wind that cut right through our layers of clothing. We met other members of the Grimes County Jr. Deputy Sheriff’s Mounted Posse in Plantersville at 5:30 a.m. to begin our journey south to the big city.

The Sam Houston Trail Ride invited the Posse to lead them through the parade. It is an honor to be able to be a part of representing Grimes County in such a big event in the 4th largest city of the United States. My husband, daughter, and son, Jake, rode in front of wagon #1 along with other members of the Posse, including Sheriff Don Sowell. Meanwhile, our little boys, Isaac and Andrew, rode in wagon #1 with me.

We had such a good time and were impressed with the turnout this year despite the cold. The parade route changed this year due to the light rail construction, but the slight change did not inhibit attendance. In fact, it felt like there were more people this year.

Riding through Downtown Houston is an experience of a lifetime. The skyscrapers never seemed taller as you look up to the sky on the back of a horse or from the inside of a wagon. The buildings form a man-made canyon of sorts, which seem to funnel the wind more strongly. It was definitely more cold during the parade than before or after the event.

The city of Houston and the Livestock Show and Rodeo do a great job promoting Go-Texan, our western heritage, and our history. At times like this, I cannot help be a little sentimental. It was not that long ago when my ancestors rode horses as their only means of transportation. You’d only have to trace it back three generations with my great-grandparents and our lives barely missed overlapping. They both died within a year or two of my birth.

Here I am in 2013 raising my family on a cattle ranch. We might drive cars and pick-up trucks instead of horses and wagons, but the spirit is the same. Loving the land, the hard work, the fresh air are qualities that we share. Supplying beef and providing for our families have not changed either. The parade helped remind me that the spirit of the Ol’ West is alive and well.

Most people would agree that a child’s natural bent is toward laziness. Who does not want to linger in bed for as long as possible? Who would rather sit in the shade than bend their bodies in half weeding a garden? The answer for most of us is obvious. Laziness is something we have to fight.

Developing a desire to fight that which is a natural tendency is really a battle of self. Therefore, the first place to begin is with yourself. As parents of five children, my husband and I share a strong desire to develop within our children, male and female alike, industry and diligence. We also want them to take initiative and not wait to be told what to do. So we try to model industry, diligence, and initiative in our own lives.

I ask my children to be “productive” each day. That does not mean that one must work from sun up to sun down without taking a break, but that one be involved in some work throughout the day. It could be painting a piece of art, baking cookies, cleaning a horse stall, writing a short story, mowing the yard, etc. At the end of the day, you can feel a sense of accomplishment in something you have done.

Living on a ranch lends itself useful in instilling these character traits in children. There is always something to do. A tree has fallen on a fence, a gate latch breaks, the cows need to be fed hay, the float on the water trough malfunctioned, etc. From mechanic work and welding, to plumbing and construction, there are a variety of skills to be honed by just living on a working ranch.

Most of our grass fed customers who travel to Cross Creek Cattle Company in order to pick up their orders remark at least once “how lucky my kids are to be raised on this ranch.” It is true; however, my husband and I are just as fortunate to live in an environment that cultivates the need for hard work and productivity. This in no way means that city kids cannot find ways to be productive; they absolutely can in a variety of ways. The ranch simply furnishes us a ready environment.

Our ancestors’, the pioneers who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and/or crossed the unsettled plains on their way westward, lives required work for their survival. Even though our lives are not pinned between life and death in such clear cut terms, we want our family to thrive and not just survive. Today, you can survive without working hard. In some ways we are not only fighting our inner selves, but also what have become cultural norms. Success, in many ways, is measured by getting paid the most for doing the least amount possible.

However if you know that working was God’s design from the beginning for mankind, then it changes your perspective (Genesis 2:15). Work requires discipline and denial of self. It makes your body move and sweat. It engages your mind and builds knowledge. It places food on your table and a roof over your head. Work is good, and it is good for your body and soul (Ecclesiastes 3:13).

At Cross Creek Cattle Company, we are hard at work to develop high quality, nutritious grass fed beef. We come from a long line of ranchers in Texas, six generations in fact, but we are also busy training up the next generation by instilling the same characteristics that our ancestors exemplified: industry, diligence, and initiative.

Last Saturday before the break of dawn and with the sky crying misty tears, my family set out with a trailer full of horses and a packed pick-up truck to commence the annual Pony Express Ride, which begins in Bedias, Texas. Grimes County is one of the few counties in Texas that keeps the Old West Pony Express alive by recreating it in an annual event, which we choose to coincide with Go-Texan events in our county. This year the event was held January 26th.

The members of the Grimes County Jr. Deputy Sheriff’s Mounted Posse relay on horseback through Grimes County carrying proclamations inviting citizens from every town to support Go-Texan and the up-coming Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. In towns like Bedias, Iola, Anderson, and Navasota, our members take turns reading the proclamations to city and county officials.

My daughter, Kyla, serves as President of the Posse this year; therefore, she kicked off the event after a delicious breakfast served by citizens of Bedias. She rode a spirited, Cheyenne, as she completed the first mile leg of the ride. Before she embarked on her ride, Kyla read and presented Bedias Mayor Mackie Bobo with a framed proclamation. Mr. Gary Moriarity representing the Go-Texan committee encouraged the kids with kind words and explained that all of these events was to support the youth of the county in the form of scholarships.

Cross Creek Cattle Company is a proud sponsor of the Grimes County Mounted Posse. It is a great organization for youth promoting horsemanship, leadership, and community service. Since I already mentioned Kyla, I wanted to add that Jake serves as the Treasurer and Lane is the Drillmaster.

I am proud to announce that there were no mishaps, accidents, or injuries to man or beast on this day. It started out cold and wet, but cleared up quickly with the rising of the sun. The day turned into a unseasonably warm one, which did not warrant one complaint.

After a total of 45 miles ridden on horseback, we finished up the ride at the Grimes County Fairgrounds where we joined the Harris County Mounted Posse. They had done a similar ride up to Montgomery and through Richards to Anderson. Then they ended their ride in Navasota. Together they rode in a parade around the fairgrounds full of people for the barbeque cook-off.

We have been having the most beautiful January this week. It has been chilly in the mornings and then warms up in the afternoons. The sky is clear and it just soul-filling to spend time outside.

This past Sunday after church I heard a knock at my door. It was my brother and his family. They had come out to the ranch. We had an impromptu visit and horseback ride. Soon my dad and Cathey joined us. It was an afternoon spent in the beauty of the day, but also in the love and fellowship of our family.

As I basked in the sunshine, I reflected silently how much I love and enjoy my family. We are all busy people. We seem to be going in different directions all the time. But deeply woven into the tapestry of our hearts is love for one another and for this land. On this spectacular day it was like we were drawn to the ranch and to each other. Our love brought us together to recharge our batteries, fill up on good ol’ vitamin D, and forget the outside world. For a moment, it was like a taste of heaven on earth.

My boys, Isaac and Andrew, got to show off what they have been learning in occasional horseback riding lessons my husband and I have been giving them. Isaac, especially, surprised everyone by his control of the horse as he trotted and walked around the arena.

My brother got to ride with his son, Will, in a tandem saddle along with his wife, Marisa, and my son, Jake. They took a long ride through creeks as they rode through every pasture on the home ranch. Riding horses is the best way to see your land.

Even Adriana, my brother’s youngest, got to ride for the first time with Grandma Cathey’s assistance. Notice she is being supported by Grandma’s arms to make sure that she does not slip off or fall.

Isn’t that what family is all about? It is your support to keep you on track through the bad and challenging times in life and also to keep you grounded when your head gets to big with success. For me, Sunday afternoon was a near perfect day.

On a cold, slightly windy day between Christmas and New Year’s, my brother and his young family spent the day fishing at our new ranch. It was a beautiful winter day in Texas with the actual temperature in the 40s; however, the wind chill was in the low 30s.

Dressed for the weather, the first order of business was to build a campfire on the bank. Then the Hollidays set out fishing for large mouth bass with live bait. As with most fishing excursions, you never quite know what to expect.

Fishing can be a slow, relaxing way to spend your day as you lounge on the bank sipping a refreshing beverage all the while keeping your eye on the bobber lazily floating on the water’s surface. On the other hand, fishing with young children can be an exhausting experience as you constantly bait hooks, cast out lines, untangle fishing poles, change lures, and remove treble hooks from your husband’s forehead.

True story: Jake was about four years old when my husband was trying to teach him to cast. Jake had one of those kid poles with a short rod. Lane stepped back to let him cast on his own and Jake caught his 150 pound dad. It all happened so fast that when Jake saw that his line did not fly over the water, he tugged harder on his rod, which only made all three hooks on the treble hook sink deeper into his father’s skin.

Lane was a real trooper. He did not scream or even shout. He calmly told Jake to stop and hand him the fishing pole. Then Lane asked me to remove the hooks from his flesh. After trying several times without success and now fighting nausea due to the sight of blood, Lane let me off the hook, so to speak. He removed the hooks himself.

Fortunately nothing like this happened on my brother’s outing, he had the perfect fishing day with his family. It was a pleasant day. Fish were biting like crazy. And not just any fish, big, large mouth bass. The average fish caught the other day was 2.5 pounds. With three people fishing, they caught 12 fish for a total of 30 pounds. This day’s catch was certainly the catch of 2012 on Cross Creek Cattle Company.

They shared from their bounty and we enjoyed a fish fry of our own. Next week, I will tell you how I fry fish without gluten or grain. It is delicious, but the best part of the whole day was spending it with people you love–family.

As I have shared with you on numerous occasions, we have a large feral hog population on both of our ranches in Grimes County. Many television shows capture the hunting and trapping of these pests. They are destructive animals plowing up large sections of land overnight with their strong snouts. There is always a fair amount of danger when dealing with any wild animal; hogs are no exception.

Boars are very large and protective of their herd. Their tusks can easily cut flesh, they bite, and their husky size is intimidating. Sows are even more protective if they have a litter of pigs at their side. You do not want to get between her and her children. We do not hunt for pigs in a traditional way nor do we go out with dogs and big knives as I have seen on television. Instead, my husband and sons assemble hog traps and bait them with corn.

Lately we have been blessed with full traps. Wild boar is considered a delicacy in gourmet cuisine; however, my family prefers the younger pigs and the sows. This week my husband smoked a wild pork loin, grilled wild pork chops, and smoked wild pork ribs. These were all delicious and all came from a 200 pound sow.

My eleven year old son, Jake, killed a piglet. It weighed anywhere from 10-15 pounds. He cleaned it and laid it on ice for a day. Then he washed the carcass and prepared it for cooking. He even went out to our garden and found the vegetables necessary for his invented recipe.

Jake surprised me by baking it and also making a side dish. My young man not only brought home the proverbial bacon, but he prepared it for the family as a treat to me. I don’t know many eleven year old boys who could or would do this today.

Slow-Baked Wild Hog

One small piglet
2 bell peppers, chopped in large pieces
1 lg. onion, chopped in large pieces
1 lime
Tony Chachere’s or similar Cajun seasoning

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a large baking dish with heavy duty foil with enough to wrap the meat up completely. Chop up the onion and bell peppers and stuff the cavity of the pig. Squeeze lime juice over the meat and sprinkle with the seasoning to your liking. Finish wrapping with the foil like it is in a pocket. Bake for 3 hours. The meat will become extremely tender and fall off the bone.

I was impressed with Jake’s initiative and ability. The dinner was extra special in that it came from the ranch and at the hands of my young son. Considering how many feral hogs we have been trapping, we will be getting wild in the kitchen for a while.

A number of horse trailers parked along the rocky road in the front pasture of Cross Creek Cattle Company made for an interesting sight for passersby Sunday afternoon. We were hosting the 2012 Fall Trail Ride for the Grimes County Jr. Deputy Sheriff Mounted Posse.

This is the third consecutive year we have had the pleasure of hosting such a fun day for the youth of our community. We had a wide range of ages and horsemanship abilities. From young beginning riders to older retired cowboys, the trail ride was enjoyed by all.

It was a beautiful, clear day. Our ranch manager, Lane, along with Kyla and Jake, who are also members of the Posse, spent several hours choosing a trail and clearing a path. They wanted to make it challenging and interesting. The trail ride crossed pastures, opened and closed several gates, went through heavily wooded areas, through deep, dry creeks, and up hills. They rode at the home ranch, which is our original place, for two hours.

Once every one dismounted and cared for their horses, we ate turkey legs and corn on the cob. The food was donated and greatly appreciated. Kyla baked four batches of brownies for dessert. Needless to say, nobody went home hungry.

Kenton and Cathey Holliday, the owners of Cross Creek Cattle Company, are proud sponsors of the Grimes County Posse. We are thrilled that our ranch provided a fun and safe day for horses and riders.